USSR. THE DISINTEGRATION

A major event in world history, which took place almost without bloodshed, completely changed the balance of international power: the end of USSR.

Based on archives from the Soviet era and images of modern Moscow, this documentary looks back over the end of the USSR.

By attempting to impose a nuanced approach on the old model, Gorbachev’s policies hastened the Union’s demise. Although Gorbachev was admired in the West for his foreign policy, life in the USSR was very difficult during his time in office. To the Soviets, Yeltsin, on the other hand, came across as the man who championed democracy in the face of Soviet totalitarianism, bringing hope.

This film examines Gorbachev’s decisions to try to prop up the Soviet system… The massive replacement of politicians, the introduction of market forces into the planned economy. With a catastrophic economic outcome.

This took place in the context of glasnost, which was unlikely to contribute to maintaining the old order. The constant backing-and-forthing between reform and the party line led to the verge of disaster.

Contemporary witnesses, historians, political observers, human-rights activists, and journalists share their points of view about the events that led to the demise of the USSR.